Beginners investment advice please

[Pinot]

On 3/6/2017 at 5:21 PM, al007 said:

 

Yes maybe my comment is a little harsh

 

All I know is each time I go to Bangkok Bank they clamor to sell my wife life assurance, she does not need it I am her insurance, I met with their investment arm and considered the very lacking

 

As regards Aberdeen they were a UK firm many years ago and then badly crashed, also their fees are substantially higher than a tracker fund

 

I bank with Bangkok bank 

 

I can not and could not recommend anyone and that is my predicament when I die, and my reasons for stipulating my wife can only hold two ETFs, one vanguard and the other ishares, both ETFs of either the S&P 500 or the Russell

 

This is also the advice from Warren Buffet for his wife when he dies, personally I can achieve returns close to this man, but would never manage someone else's money, too old and too risky for me if I got it wrong

 

As a retired Chartered Accountant I spot these scammers all the time, I am very fortunate to have the knowledge to generally be able to invest well

 

As a Chartered Accountant I would also say many Chartered Accounts are not competent to manage your money and I have achieved the same qualification

 

Long term in a tracker fund and you should do well and by long term I mean 10 to 15 Yrs based on past experience but then that is no guide to the foture, I monitor my investments probably at least five times each day, and have on a few occasions cashed out in full and waited

 

Even my own Trustees and administrators for my QROPS  in Gibraltar are crooks, fortunately they can not get at my funds, but neither can I without their help, but I can buy and sell on a daily basis at my sole discretion

Timing the market is quite simply...impossible. Day traders usually end up broke. 

 

Have a plan. Stick to it. Evaluate quarterly. Make changes when needed. 

 

Monitor your investments five times a day? Find another hobby.

[SheungWan]

On 3/5/2017 at 7:32 PM, akirasan said:

Thanks everybody you've given me a great deal to think about.  Indeed I am in no rush to do anything.

I'm going to chew over this for a few days and take the time to consider every piece of advice.  There are some good book recommendations so I'll go through those as well.

I did bring around $12k aud with me which I've left sitting in a Thai bank account.  I have an emergency fund sitting in another bank account.

I'm 39 now and while my self employment is doing well, I'm thinking about the future.  I should have thought about this many years ago but here I am now.  

Because I know nothing about money and markets, I'd rather invest in something and let somebody else watch it, like a manged fund.  I do like the idea of real estate although I haven't taken the time to familiarise myself with the local market.  Work has been terribly busy.  

So thank-you again everyone, you've all been a great help and I really appreciate all the replies.
 

It sounds as if you haven't managed to save a lot at the age of 39 and the chasing of returns isn't going to do terribly more either. You will do better just saving as much of your monthly income as possible in order to put down the deposit on an apartment back in your home country. Avoid all and every investment advice which involves any monies in Thailand unless you want to have your pocket picked.

[Alexis John]

Investing in Dividend Aristocrats is a very good opportunity for beginners. An eligible company must be part of the S&P 500. In order to meet this requirement, the company must have a large enough market cap.

 

These stocks are PepsiCo Inc., Procter & Gamble Co, 3M Company

 

More on Dividend aristocrats list

[SheungWan]

On 3/5/2017 at 7:32 PM, akirasan said:

Thanks everybody you've given me a great deal to think about.  Indeed I am in no rush to do anything.

I'm going to chew over this for a few days and take the time to consider every piece of advice.  There are some good book recommendations so I'll go through those as well.

I did bring around $12k aud with me which I've left sitting in a Thai bank account.  I have an emergency fund sitting in another bank account.

I'm 39 now and while my self employment is doing well, I'm thinking about the future.  I should have thought about this many years ago but here I am now.  

Because I know nothing about money and markets, I'd rather invest in something and let somebody else watch it, like a manged fund.  I do like the idea of real estate although I haven't taken the time to familiarise myself with the local market.  Work has been terribly busy.  

So thank-you again everyone, you've all been a great help and I really appreciate all the replies.

Those who in the past have bought personal property in prime or near-prime locations have seen the value of those properties absolutely trump practically all managed or unmanaged funds over the years. If you do not have a home, do not have a mortgage, then any idea that you have significant spare cash to invest is a false perspective IMHO.

Edited April 9, 2017 by SheungWan

[steven100]

buy a bar  .....   farangs will always drink piss ...